ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X Hands-on: Ryzen Z2 Extreme Power and Full-Screen Windows Experience

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X delivers a refined handheld gaming experience with improved ergonomics, performance, and battery efficiency.

Hardware by Katmin on Oct 17, 2025

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is a highly anticipated handheld gaming device for Windows that uses a cutting-edge chipset and is meant to give you a console-like experience. The gadget has good performance, is comfortable to use, and has flexible software, so gamers may play not just Xbox and Game Pass games but also almost any PC game.

Running Windows 11 with a full-screen experience optimized for handheld use, the Ally X supports Steam, GOG, Epic, EA, and any compatible PC game.

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Design and Ergonomics

The overall design of the ROG Xbox Ally X is very reminiscent of the ROG Ally X, but with notable improvements. The new handles resemble traditional controller grips, making the device more comfortable to hold.

The dual-fan cooling system from the previous model remains, and the macro keys on the back are programmable via software. Additionally, the handles feature microtexture grips, and the front panel has an engraved ROG and Xbox logo.

Up top, the shoulder and trigger buttons feature built-in haptics that provide feedback similar to an Xbox controller. The device has two USB Type-C ports (one USB 3.2 and one USB 4.0), a power LED indicator, a volume rocker, a micro SD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a power/fingerprint button.

The ergonomics, combined with the 80Wh battery and balanced weight distribution, make it one of the most comfortable handhelds currently available. The buttons are responsive, analog sticks feel smooth, and linear triggers with vibration motors enhance gameplay, particularly for racing titles.

Specifications

The ROG Xbox Ally X is powered by the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, based on the Zen 5 architecture, featuring eight cores and 16 threads, with three Zen 5 cores and five Zen 5C cores. The base clock is 2GHz, with Zen 5 cores boosting up to 5GHz and Zen 5C cores up to 3.3GHz.

The integrated GPU is the Radeon 890, built on RDNA 3.5, with 16 compute units clocked up to 2900MHz.

The device comes with 24GB of RAM at 8000MT/s, a 7-inch 120Hz IPS display with 1920x1080 resolution, 100% sRGB coverage, and 500 nits of brightness. Storage is handled by a pre-installed 1TB M.2 SSD, and connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.

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Windows Full-Screen Experience

One of the standout features of the Ally X is Windows 11 with a full-screen experience. While it can switch to desktop mode, full-screen mode optimizes RAM usage and creates a more console-like interface.

Even with multiple games installed from Steam and Game Pass, the system maintains low background memory usage, typically around 5.4–5.7GB without desktop mode. When desktop mode is activated, RAM usage increases slightly to around 6.2GB.

Software and Armory Crate

The device has a new Armory Crate built into the game bar that makes it easy to go to performance modes, system monitoring, and customization. People can change between silent, performance, turbo, and manual modes, and they can change the wattage for FPPPT, SPT, and SPL levels.

Controller modes can be customized for both gamepad and desktop usage, and the analog sticks, triggers, and haptic buttons can be fine-tuned for precision.

Additionally, the Armory Crate software provides access to performance statistics, RGB controls, GPU optimization, and battery care options. Battery care can limit charging to 80% or allow full 100% capacity to prolong battery lifespan.

AMD graphics settings such as Radeon Super Resolution, Fluid Motion Frames, Anti-Lag, Boost, Chill, and Image Sharpening are all configurable, giving gamers control over performance and visuals.

Performance and Benchmarks

Initial benchmarks at 35W show the Ally X performing strongly. Geekbench 6 scores include a single-core result of 2790 and a multi-core score of 11,688. Time Spy benchmarks achieved 4300, outperforming the previous Z1 Extreme.

Gaming performance is impressive even at lower wattages. Forza Horizon 5 runs at over 90fps on 1080p medium settings at 17W TDP, while Cyberpunk 2077 at 900p 25W TDP achieves close to 60fps.

Using FSR Frame Generation, 1080p gaming at 17W TDP reaches around 74fps. Doom: The Dark Ages runs at 1080p medium with balanced FSR at 25W TDP, surpassing 70fps with frame generation enabled. More demanding titles like Borderlands 4 require 900p low settings, and even then, frame generation may be needed to achieve smoother gameplay.

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Battery Life

The amount of battery used depends on the type of game and the settings. You can play for up to 10 hours on most independent or 2D games that utilize less than 8W. AAA games with a TDP of 17W use roughly 26.5W and last for about 3 hours.

When in turbo mode, the TDP is 25W, which uses about 32W and gives you about 2.5 hours of runtime. The 80Wh battery lasts long enough for long gaming sessions, and changing the brightness and refresh rate makes it last even longer.

Final Thoughts

Ergonomically, the ROG Xbox Ally X excels, offering comfort, responsive controls, and balanced weight distribution. Battery life is solid, particularly in performance mode, and the Windows full-screen experience provides a convenient, console-like interface.

The 7-inch 120Hz IPS display is proven and reliable, although an OLED panel would have been a welcome upgrade. The Ally X is a formidable competitor among Windows handhelds since it is portable, powerful, and has software that can be used in many ways.

The ROG Xbox Ally with a less powerful CPU will be a more affordable solution while still giving you the portable experience. Comparing the Ally X against previous ROG Ally models and the Z1 Extreme will provide further insight into performance improvements and gamer usability.

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